World Class Waves at Risk

Aug 1, 2005

Straddy's character is formed by a complex interaction between the existing artificial sand bypass project, and natural sand movement. A massive dredging campaign to allow Cruise Ship navigation could destroy this interaction.

Dredging Impacts on the Wave Environment

- Cruise ships will require a much deeper entrance channel than the existing Gold Coast Seaway. Dredging will occur both in the Seaway, and on the offshore sandbanks and bombies.

- If the seabed is lowered in this area, the existing beach and dunes line could be eroded significantly, because the angle of the seabed (between the deepest point and the shoreline) would be steeper.

- The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypass dredging has caused Duranbah Beach to erode by over 50 metres, for this exact reason.

- If offshore sandbanks are removed and the dunes erode, 2 of the 3 sources of sand for Straddy's perfect banks are gone.

Access Restrictions

- On a good day, 100 or more surfers will paddle across the Seaway. Every crossing begins and ends on the rock walls, in the same place that Cruise Ship Berths would be constructed.

- Surfers would not be permitted to jump into the Seaway within close proximity of a cruise ship or its dock.

- An enormous dock area would be a dangerous and unpleasant place. Security and safety regulations will keep people away, whether they are on foot, in small boats, or on boards.

- A cruise ship terminal will obstruct and deny surfers existing rights to paddle across to Straddy.

A Priceless Sporting & Recreational Asset

- Gold Coast City Council and the QLD Government spend millions of $$$ constructing and maintaining recreational and sporting areas like cricket pitches, swimming pools and football fields. Natural surfing treasures like Straddy cost the taxpayer nothing to provide or maintain.

- The Gold Coast is a home and training ground for a large contingent of the worlds elite professional surfers. They all surf Straddy as often as they can.

- Surfing is a free and healthy activity, undertaken daily by 1000's of local residents, interstate visitors and international travellers. All surfers contribute substantially to the Gold Coast economy, and all surfers want this recreational and sporting venue protected.

A Natural Landscape

- Every surf break on the Gold Coast apart from Straddy and the Spit has a back drop of high rise buildings. Surfing here allows people to enjoy a range of natural views from both land and sea.

- Surfers, just like other residents and visitors, come to this area to momentarily escape the highly urbanised city in which we now live.

- Development of a cruise ship terminal at the spit would severely degrade the natural values of the area for all those who use it as a place to try and escape the rat race.

- The Spit is the only large tract of easily accessible undeveloped ocean beach frontage between the NSW border and Bribie Island. For this reason alone it should not be developed.